Question: Subtract. $56.42 - 48.21 =$
Solution: There are many ways to solve this problem. Let's see two ways we can solve it. Place Value We can think in terms of hundredths: $\begin{aligned} &\phantom{=}56.42 - 48.21\\\\ &=5{,}642\text{ hundredths} - 4{,}821\text{ hundredths}\\\\ &=821\text{ hundredths}\\\\ &=8.21 \end{aligned}$ Place value table Let's line up the numbers by their decimal places. Tens Ones $.$ Tenths Hundredths ${5}$ ${6}$ $.$ ${4}$ $2$ $4$ $8$ $.$ ${2}$ $1$ Now, let's subtract each place value column. Tens Ones $.$ Tenths Hundredths $\overset{4}{\cancel{5}}$ $\overset{16}{\cancel{6}}$ $.$ ${4}$ ${2}$ $-$ $4$ $8$ $.$ ${2}$ $1$ $\underline{~~~~}$ $\underline{~~~~}$ $\underline{~~~~}$ $\underline{~~~~}$ $8$ $.$ $2$ $1$ $56.42-48.21=8.21$